distorted; distorting; distorts
1
: to twist (see twist entry 1 sense 3b) out of the true meaning or proportion : to alter to give a false or unnatural picture or account
distorted the facts
2
: to twist out of a natural, normal, or original shape or condition
a face distorted by pain
also
: to cause to be perceived unnaturally
the new lights distorted colors
The singer's voice was electronically distorted.
3
: pervert
distort justice
: to become distorted
Heat caused the wax figures to distort.
also
: to cause a twisting from the true, natural, or normal
distorter
noun
Examples of distort in a Sentence
Her face was distorted by pain.
The odd camera angle distorted her figure in the photograph.
The sound of the guitar was distorted.
Heat caused the plastic to distort.
She felt he was distorting the facts.
The story was distorted by the press.
The loss of both her parents at an early age distorted her outlook on life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rosenworcel also dismissed a challenge to a Fox station license alleging that Fox willfully distorted news with false reports of fraud in the 2020 election that Trump lost.
—
ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
Importers have already scrambled to front-load shipments ahead of tariff hikes, distorting gross domestic product growth figures in Q1 2025 while setting up a drag for Q2.
—Bob Haber, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
But the only thing that is wild here is how badly the science supporting fluoridation is being distorted or ignored.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2025
Putin's envoy also highlighted that some forces are attempting to sow tension between Russia and the United States by distorting Russia's true position.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distort
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ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
Importers have already scrambled to front-load shipments ahead of tariff hikes, distorting gross domestic product growth figures in Q1 2025 while setting up a drag for Q2.
—Bob Haber, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
But the only thing that is wild here is how badly the science supporting fluoridation is being distorted or ignored.
—Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2025
Putin's envoy also highlighted that some forces are attempting to sow tension between Russia and the United States by distorting Russia's true position.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distort
Cite this Entry
“Distort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distort. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distort
verb
dis·tort
dis-ˈtȯ(ə)rt 
1
: to tell in a way that is misleading : misrepresent
distorted the facts
2
: to twist out of a natural, normal, or original shape or condition
distorter
noun
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